COLUMBUS – The day Ohio residents and voters across the U.S. cast final ballots in one of the most unusual, contentious, colorful and crazy presidential elections in recent memory is here.
Polls open in Ohio from 6:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m.
Everything you need to know about voting in Ohio today
Ohio polls opened at 6:30 a.m. on Tuesday with some long lines reported in areas including Hilliard, Grandview Heights and Galloway in central Ohio as well as in Cincinnati.
Cuyahoga County election officials say they are taking precautions to deal with any problems that might occur at polling places.
As usual, the battleground state has been in the spotlight, though voter enthusiasm does not appear to be as high as it has in previous elections.
“Voter turnout will not be as robust as we’ve seen in recent presidential elections,” predicted Secretary of State Jon Husted on the eve of voting.
Husted says his office has seen nearly 11,000 more early votes compared with 2012, a number which will increase as additional mailed absentee ballots arrive after Tuesday. Absentee ballots cast by mail since Oct. 12 were down about 4 percent compared with four years ago but those cast in person saw a roughly 10 percent increase.
Almost 1.8 million ballots have been cast in the state, which has 7.8 million registered voters. About 5.6 million people voted in the last presidential election.
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Despite reports that 2016 had sunk it as a swing state, Ohio still appears poised to play a pivotal role in Tuesday’s presidential election.
That is why Ohio attracted dozens of visits by Clinton and Trump or their surrogates, including stops by Democratic President Barack Obama, Trump family members, Democratic former President Bill Clinton and celebrities including Sally Field and Jay Z.
The closely divided state could yet deliver its 18 electoral votes to another winner, proving its voters still serve as a barometer of the national political mood.
Or Ohio’s vote will go against the grain in historic fashion.
If Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton wins the White House without Ohio, she’ll be the first Democrat to do so since John F. Kennedy in 1960. If Republican rival Donald Trump loses Ohio but wins nationally, it’ll be a first for any Republican.
Ohioans also will decide an unusually nasty and expensive U.S. Senate contest on Tuesday and pick winners in congressional, state legislative and Ohio Supreme Court races.